Donor Spotlight: Roger Anderson

May 20, 2024

"I donate to Kamp for Kids because every dollar counts. And when I see this good thing happening I feel like the money I am giving is really supporting something important. It feels good to know that you are part of something important."

Meet Roger Anderson, a retired long-time BHN employee and financial supporter of Kamp for Kids in Westfield. As a former manager of Kamp for Kids, Roger is well aware of the benefits and struggles of the program at a level that few others get to experience. Year after year, Roger generously shares his financial resources with BHN’s Kamp for Kids.


When asked why he donates, Roger explained how Kamp benefits all the children in attendance. "Kamp is one of the programs with the widest impact of any social service program and provides a place for children with disabilities to be supervised in the summer, have fun, learn skills, have social experiences; and offers that same opportunity to kids without disabilities. Stirring them together, they learn a tremendous amount from each other. Kids with disabilities learn social skills and develop confidence. Kids with typical abilities come to understand how different and diverse people are and not to be intimidated by those differences. They all learn to make friends across differences. And that makes a huge impact on kids who grow up to be adults.”


Roger points out that Kamp has a significant impact not only on the children but also on their parents. “Finding appropriate summer care is hard enough for parents of typically developing kids and next to impossible for parents of children with disabilities. And because Kamp provides transportation, it is that much easier for parents to work through the summer.”


Roger also sees a ripple effect in the broader human services workforce as well. “Through exposure to Kamp and BHN, summer staff and college interns come to learn that there are different jobs in the human services field and that they can work in human services no matter what their field of interest is.” He notes that many senior managers in local human services and state social service agencies worked at Kamp in college. “They were in school for business (for example); then they went to Kamp, and now they are leading a local social service organization."


Roger also reminds us that Kamp for Kids holds significant historical value. Judy Hoyt founded the program because she wanted her child with disabilities to go to camp with his siblings. Judy didn’t stop there; she was also a driving force in passing the MA 766 special education law. This law required public schools to provide free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment for all eligible children with disabilities. Subsequent federal special education reform was modeled on MA 766. As Roger shared, "Judy was behind all of that," and Kamp is where it all began.


And although the value and importance of Kamp is clear, funding it is not as simple. The program revenue is a patchwork of state subsidies (for those campers who qualify), small foundation grants, participant registration fees, and individual donor contributions. Given the commitment to offer scholarships to families in need who can’t afford the program, Roger emphasizes that every dollar is crucial.


In short, Roger knows from the inside that Kamp has “a whole lot of impact" and says, “I give money because Kamp is an uplifting experience for the children and anyone connected to it, and it is good to know that you are a part of something so important.”


Thank you, Roger, for your continued support and financial stewardship of Kamp for Kids. and for sharing your story with us! 


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